CM approves Rs6b for 4000 schools

I Orders provision of all facilities within 6 months I Vows to introduce modern education in Sindh

KARACHI - Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed school education department to select at least 4000 schools and provide them all the facilities within next six months for which he approved Rs6 billion. He took this decision while presiding over a meeting of education department (schools) here at the CM House on Wednesday.

Education Secretary Iqbal Durrani giving presentation to the CM said that there were around 4000 schools which do not have the facility of washrooms.

On this the chief minister said that he has been listening to the reports of missing facilities. “Please don’t repeat the things, just I am giving a target,” he asked the secretary education and went on saying select at least 4000 schools and provide them all the facilities such as compound wall, library, teachers room, lab- if necessary, washrooms, drinking water and electricity.

He added that the schools where power connection was not possible giving them solar energy.

He said that how much this project would cost, Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem said around Rs6 billion. The chief minister approved the amount and gave the department go ahead and asked them to complete it within six months. The meeting was told that the enrolment in primary schools is 2,735,156 against which 91,092 primary teachers are working. On this the chief minister said that this shows that one teacher is teaching 30 students. The e student teacher ratio is not bad but “we have to focus on capacity building of the teachers,” he said and directed Minister education to rationalize teachers transfer postings.

The chief minister directed secretary education to develop school-wise data under which number of students and teachers working there, their budget, facilities and area must be included. “I want to develop a system under which school specific data should be made available so that their problems and issued could be identified forthwith for redressal,” he said.

Syed Murad Ali Shah said that he was keen to introduce modern primary education in the province for which spade work should be e started so that it could be introduced from the next session. “Primary education is basic and foundation, if the foundation is strong the building would remain strong,” he said and went on saying therefore, latest teaching methods may be adopted. The chief minister decided that he would be reviewing the progress of the agenda set today for developing complete infrastructure of 4000 schools every fortnight.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said directed Public Health Engineering department to complete its water supply and drainage schemes by the end of current financial year.

“If these drainage schemes are completed in time the drainage problems of most of the villages an cities would be solved,” This he said while presiding over a meeting here at CM House today to review the progress of PHE department schemes.

The meeting was told that the PHE department has launched 223 schemes, of them 187 are on-going and 36 are new. Out of 187 on-going schemes 117 are of drainage and 70 of water supply. The 185 on-going schemes would over Rs4.7 billion and the government released Rs1.5 billion.

The chief minister said that he had given them a target of 95 schemes, including 36 of water supply and 59 of drainage to complete them by June 2018 and “I want their completion in time,” he said clearly and asked the secretary to keep him posting progress report. The PHE has also approved Rs724.540 million 34 new schemes, including 15 of water supply and 19 of drainage.

The chief minister specially discussed the drainage schemes of Larkana.

In Larkana city, in the area of UC-13,14,15,16,17 and 19 of Larkan city drainage system is being constructed for Rs30 million against which Rs22.5 million have been released. The chief minister directed the secretary to expedite completion of these schemes because majority of the funds have been released.

The PHE department has also launched Rs40 million scheme of construction of CC drains and CC blocks at 20 villages of various UCs. In this scheme Rs16.5 million has been released and work is in progress. Similarly, construction of CC blocks and CC drains, Open drains in UC1 and UC-2 taluka Ratodero launched for Rs81.2 million. The government has released Rs19.2 million for this scheme. The chief minister said that he would release additional funds if the scheme is completed in time.

The chief minister said that there are drainage schemes of Shikarpur city. The drainage water is flowing onto the streets, therefore the on-going work of construction of surface drains & CC blocks of 14 different localities of Shikarpur has been launched for Rs35.716 million against which Rs6.969 million should be completed at the earliest. He also reviewed rehabilitation and improvement of sewerage/drainage system of Shikarpur. Murad Ali Shah said that he had already released 50 percent of funds, Rs254.760 million, therefore pace and quality of work must be maintained. The schemes which were reviewed by the chief minister include of Kamber, Tando Allahyar, Tharparkar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Naushehroferoze, Dadu, Kashmore, Sukur and Khairpur.